Dear Liz: I use my first name, maiden name and married last name as my legal name. Just before we got married 46 years ago, I told my husband-to-be that I didn’t want to take his last name. I lost that argument. If he passes before me, I want to drop his last name. I know I would need to change my Social Security card but would I need to change everything else like my house deed?
Answer: Yes. Whenever you change your name, you can expect a mound of paperwork. You’ll start by changing the name on your identification cards, including Social Security, your driver’s license and your passport. Be sure to notify Social Security before filing your tax return, since the IRS uses Social Security records to verify your identity.
After your IDs are updated, you’ll change the name on other paperwork, such as voter registrations, property deeds, the U.S. Postal Service, banks, insurance companies, utilities and so on.
When you married, your marriage certificate and your previous identification cards were likely all you needed to update IDs. Had you divorced, you could have included the name change as part of the paperwork to help change your identification cards. In other situations, you typically need to get a court order to legally change your name. Filing fees depend on where you live. In California, for example, you can expect to pay between $435 to $450 and the process typically takes two or three months.
Hi Liz, I have the opposite issue. I’ve been married (& divorced) twice, but I never changed my name on my Social Security I.D. card. Instead, I incorporated my maiden name as my middle name (since I don’t have a middle name). I am fast-approaching the time to register for Medi Care and SS Benefits, and I am wondering if this will create a problem. My driver’s license and my US Passport match my legal name. What would you suggest I do prior to turning 65?
Thank you for any advice you can provide.
The IRS also uses Social Security records to match numbers on tax returns, so the sooner you update, the better. Here’s the link to Social Security’s information on how to change your name: https://www.ssa.gov/faqs/en/questions/KA-01981.html